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Friday, June 4, 2010

Strapping in the Babies

My granddaughter is the subject of many conversations that I have these days. My husband and I just finished watching her for nearly two weeks while her mom and dad went on a vacation. What a fun time!

But things are different today than they were when my kids were babies and toddlers. Everything has multiple straps that must be buckled and tightened. Every one of them is different, and sometimes, I feel as though I ought to have an instruction manual in order to figure out how they work.

The high chair we have is easy. There are just two side straps that buckle into the one the goes between the legs. It is much easier than the one she has at home, since it also has arm straps. Then we had the stroller. Once Grandpa and I figured out how to unfold it, we had arm straps, that hooked together with the one in the center. It was like putting together a puzzle to get all the parts in the right places. Thirdly, we had to figure out how to buckle all of the parts of the car seat. The little silver things that went into the center piece were hiding from us, but I knew they all had to connect. Finally, the topper came on Sunday morning when we couldn't figure out how to get the car seat out of my car and transfer it to a larger car for our trip to church. We wound up taking two cars because we were going to be very late for church if we wasted any more time trying to figure it out. Next time, I will watch while they install the seat, so I'll know how to take it out.

At least when I took her to the beach, the only thing that required a strap was her hat.

Do you have any interesting stories about keeping kids strapped into various chairs, car seats or strollers?

5 comments:

I hated the carseat the most. And, even with all the straps, I'd turn around and Mikey and his seat would be half way toward the front seat, where he wanted to be with me.My bad, I didn't strap him into his high chair

What wonderful pictures. What a cutie! Yes, I've had my share of fun learning to strap in grandchildren. As a nurse, I can't impress on people how important it is to use a carseat correctly. Don't just focus on strapping the child in right.

Make sure the carseat itself is in right. You don't know the number of accidents where a child was needlessly injured because the carseat flipped forward smashing their faces or breaking arms due to being improperly installed.

Many hospitals or firestations offer free carseat checks if you are unsure about yours. A few phone calls and a ten minute visit could save a ton of heartbreak.

Pamela,I had to laugh when you said you didn't strap him into his high chair. My son-in-law is so conscientious about buckling all the straps. I'm surprised he didn't complain about the lack of arm straps on our high chair.

Pat,Thanks. You are so right. I know my daughter and son-in-law had the base of their first car seat professionally installed. They now have a forward-facing seat that has to be strapped in on the seat and anchored behind the seat. Who knew? That's why we couldn't figure out how to get it out. :)

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